Shrek
Role Reversals and Love Story Conflicts
Recurring Motifs of Conflict
-Brains vs. Brawn. These conflicts pit intelligence against brute strength.
-Rags to Riches. Stories about personal struggle for achievement.
-Good vs. Evil. Sets equal forces against each other.
-Role Reversals. Allows us to see through the eyes of the "other" and experience how others live.
-Courage and Survival. The conflict is usually environmental. Disaster or disease must be overcome
-Peacemakers. Underdog stories where the "good" are those who protect the weak or stand up for what is right.
-Tempting Fate. The conflict arises when the hero goes against the established order of things (the law, God, nature), sometimes for the greater good, but more often for personal gain.
-Fish out of Water. A character or characters are transported to a different time or place where they must learn how to survive.
-Ship of Fools. Several fully defined but distinctly different characters must navigate on an adventure together.
-Buddy Stories. These focus on the strengths and contrasts of the characters to overcome adversity and become friends.
-Love Stories. The study of romantic relationships that focuses on the trials athat bring two people together or tear them apart.
-Quests and Journeys. Here, heroes traverse space and/or time to retrieve an object or person only to find themselves changed through the experience.
Examples on Conflicts
| Movie | Primary Conflict | Secondary Conflict |
| Iron Giant | Fish out of water | Buddy story |
| Mulan | Fish out of water | Courage & survival |
| Ice Age | Ship of Fools | Peacemakers |
| Shrek | Role Reversals | Love Story |